By R.L. Bynum
When Nyla Harris faced North Carolina in a Louisville jersey, she expected talent. What she didn’t expect was what stayed with her: the connection.
The 6–2 senior says the family-oriented atmosphere that was evident when she played against UNC helped convince her that Chapel Hill was the place to play her final college basketball season.
“When I played against them, they always had that chemistry of togetherness,” Harris said. “If you could describe one word of being on the other side of Carolina, I would say it’s hard to beat them because they’re together.”
She noticed how unshakable the Tar Heels had looked when adversity hit, how they trusted each other and Coach Courtney Banghart, and nothing seemed to rattle them.
“They work together very well. They’re strong,” says Harris, whose Cardinals only beat UNC once in three tries. “They have this unbreakable bond on the court that nothing really moves them. Coach Banghart does a great job of making sure they’re prepared, and you can definitely feel that when you’re playing against them.”
That impression stayed with her. So, when she entered the transfer portal on March 27 after her junior season, she knew exactly what she wanted.
“Something about Carolina was just calling me,” said Harris, who committed to UNC on April 4.
Interest poured in, and she heard from around 30 schools. But the first communication from a school was a text from Joanne Aluka-White, UNC’s associate head coach.
Harris already had a relationship with the Carolina staff because UNC was one of the final five schools Harris considered coming out of Lake Highland Prep in Orlando, Fla., as a four-star recruit and the No. 35 player in ESPN’s Class of 2022 ranking.
“That meant a lot,” said Harris, adding that it was hard to say no to UNC the first time. “When Coach Jo texted me that second time, it was going to be hard for me to say no again because that’s loyalty. If you want to know if someone really values you as a player and really respects you and really wants you on their team, that’s a prime example.”
Banghart said Harris had been a “bear to handle” when UNC faced the Cardinals, which is why the staff contacted her so quickly, knowing that she was losing versatile five-year star Alyssa Ustby.
“When her name went in the portal, especially with the graduation of Alyssa [Ustby], we were like, ‘Whoa,’ ” Banghart said. “That was a really quick process.”
Nobody can replace all the intangibles Ustby brought to the program. But Harris followed Ustby’s career and marveled at how it progressed.
“When you thought of Carolina, you thought of her,” Harris said. “I think Alyssa’s name was never left out of the conversation with Carolina. And I think that’s what I wanted — a chance to develop like that.”
The Tar Heels had additional edges in recruiting Harris: The Hussman School of Journalism and her friendship with Deja Kelly, who has built her brand on and off the court.
Kelly wasn’t just a star player at UNC and Oregon; she has made her mark in broadcasting and fashion, which are two of Harris’ passions.
“That definitely caught my eye,” said Harris, who will be studying broadcast journalism, the degree Kelly earned at UNC. “Seeing Deja doing all these things off the court — modeling, NIL deals, broadcasting — made me think, ‘OK, this is a place where I can do the same.’ We’ve already talked about it. We want to do a show together one day.”
Another advantage is that she’ll get her degree in one school year. Harris says that “other schools — like up the street, they wanted me to take two years.” She didn’t specify the nearby school, but said, “You know exactly who I’m talking about.”
N.C. State was one of the five schools she considered after high school, along with Georgia Tech and Florida State.
Over three seasons at Louisville, she started 81 games and produced eight double-doubles. Her sophomore season was her best, as she averaged 10.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. She scored a career-high 22 points (with 11 rebounds) at Syracuse on Feb. 11, 2024, and pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds (with 11 points) against Florida State on Feb. 29, 2024.
But her junior season brought change — and frustration.
“There were a lot of coaching changes,” said Harris, whose numbers dipped slightly to 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds while averaging about three fewer minutes. “It was hard for me to get acclimated to the new system we had in my junior year versus my sophomore year.”
Louisville shifted to a post-oriented attack to a guard-driven offense, limiting her inside opportunities.
“I was relying on rebound touches to be able to show what I could do,” she said.
Harris came to Chapel Hill with something to prove: that her game is more versatile than she was allowed to show at Louisville.
“At Louisville, I did what I had to do, and I played my role very well,” Harris said. “But here, I have an even bigger role. And it’s a good role, because I think it’s the role that I need in order to show that I can play at that W[NBA] level.”
She is one of two transfers whom Banghart said she targeted early in the transfer portal window. Harris was already familiar with the other sophomore UCLA transfer guard, Elina Aarnisalo. They both started in last season’s opener in Paris, as the highly ranked Bruins beat the Cardinals 66–59.
Harris watched Aarnisalo run the UCLA offense and remembers wondering, “Who is this girl?” because of the way she distributed the ball.
“She could pass like crazy, do all these crazy things in traffic,” Harris said. “It was insane. Saw her enter the portal. Saw her commit here. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, we’re in business.’ That girl, a screen and roll — coming off a screen — if you haven’t got a decision made, you’re done. She can pass very well. She has patience to her game again, great IQ. So that helps her to be able to facilitate — do the things that she wants to do at her own pace.”
Harris shows she is embracing the Carolina women’s basketball family while also displaying her broadcasting skills in giving scouting reports on the three freshman wings:
— Nyla Brooks:
“Nyla is a great freshman, very long. Reminds me of [former N.C. State star and current Connecticut Sun player] Saniya Rivers in a way. Has a lot of length. I think the biggest thing for her right now is strength and being able to play at that level, because she has all the skill set — everything. I think just being where her feet are. And, as a veteran, I’m helping her with that, just reminding her it’s a process. Don’t beat up on yourself so much, because when you beat up on yourself, no matter how much you want to be where you want to be, you’re not going to be there because you’re putting so much pressure on yourself.”
— Taliyah Henderson:
“Great shooter. I would say she’s like a three-four; she can play in the post. She’s strong enough to bump you. She’s [been] bumping me. She happens to be my buddy, so just helping her with confidence because she came off an ACL injury. Just helping her to be where her feet are, to trust the process, to enjoy these moments — just relaxing and taking everything in and learning day in, day out. You’re here for a reason. You’re in college for a reason. You’re not supposed to have everything figured out.”
— Liza Astakhova:
“Haven’t seen her play yet, but she’s a pure shooter. She’s tall. She’s a great person. She’s never been in the U.S. before, so I think the biggest thing for us right now is helping her get acclimated to being in a whole different country for the first time away from your family. Just giving her that homey feeling, welcoming feeling. She knows the game. She’s going to give us some pointers as well. Overseas players — they can play.”
Carolina lost a lot of leadership with the college careers ending for starters Ustby, Maria Gakdeng and Lexi Donarski, but Harris fits in well in that regard. That’s evident with her comments on the freshmen.
“Nyla has fit in like a glove to our group,” Banghart said. “She brings a lot of joy, which brings a lot of competitiveness and experience.”
Harris’ summer focus has been to expand her offensive range. She has worked tirelessly on her jumper and 3-point shot after not even attempting a shot outside the arc in three seasons at Louisville.
She says her game is multi-faceted, including “scoring, being a creator, being a facilitator, doing everything that I obviously do that comes natural — getting rebounding, playing defense,” Harris said. “But the biggest thing that’s going to be different is my ability to shoot the 3, my ability to shoot the jumper, my ability to just have confidence overall.”
Harris, who is living by herself for the first time, says the most significant difference from who she was at Louisville to who she is now is “pure confidence.”
Banghart knows Harris will be intense in games because she’s seen it during summer practices. She recalled Harris diving with full extension behind the basket to save a loose ball, tipping it out for a game-winning 3-pointer.
“That’s who she is — just competitive,” Banghart says. “If she had gotten hurt in that moment, we would’ve been in a fight. But that’s Nyla.”
Her off-court world reflects her personality: reading the Bible, fashion, building with Legos, tanning, and making time for things that bring her happiness.
“I’m in an era where I’m with whatever,” she says with a laugh. “I want to do things other than the typical college things. I’ve been through that. Now it’s about enjoying the process.”
That process includes one goal she’s not shy about: winning a national championship.
“I believe here at Carolina, we can do those things,” Harris said.
When that final buzzer sounds, she’ll have a story to tell. Because for Harris, this isn’t just about playing for Carolina. It’s about joining the family she admired from afar and becoming the voice after basketball that explains the game to viewers.
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 5 | Liza Astakhova (LEE-zah uh-STAH-koh-vuh) | W | 6–2 | |
| Freshman | 7 | Nyla Brooks | W | 6–1 | |
| Brooks brings dazzling skills, confidence to UNC | |||||
| Freshman | 3 | Taliyah Henderson | W | 6–1 | |
| Long wait, journey for 5-star freshman Henderson after second knee surgery nearly over | |||||
| Freshman | 26 | Taissa Queiroz | G | 6–1 | |
| Queiroz came to USA from Brazil to chase her dreams | |||||
| Sophomore | 17 | Elina Aarnisalo (EH-lee-nah AHR-nee-sah-loh) | G | 5–10 | |
| Aarnisalo brings flash, IQ and pro experience to backcourt | |||||
| Sophomore | 0 | Lanie Grant | G | 5–9 | |
| Sophomore | 34 | Blanca Thomas | C | 6–5 | |
| Sophomore | 1 | Jordan Zubich | G | 5–11 | |
| RS sophomore | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS sophomore | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Junior | 10 | Reniya Kelly | PG | 5–7 | |
| Junior | 15 | Sydney Barker | PG | 5–6 | |
| Senior | 2 | Nyla Harris | F | 6–2 | |
| It was hard for Harris to say ‘no’ to UNC again | |||||
| Senior | 24 | Indya Nivar | G | 5–10 |
Class of 2025
| Player | Rating | ESPN rank | Position | Height | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyla Brooks | Five star | No. 13 | Wing | 6–2 | Alexandria, Va. |
| Taliyah Henderson | Five star | No. 27 | Wing | 6–1 | Vail, Ariz. |
| Taissa Queiroz | Four star | No. 77 | Guard | 6–1 | Santa Rosa, Calif. |
| Liza Astakhova | — | — | Wing | 6–1 | Moscow, Russia |
| Date | Day/month | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 91–82 | No. 2 South Carolina in Atlanta | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 90–42 | vs. N.C. Central | 1–0 |
| 6 | Thursday | W, 71–37 | vs. Elon | 2–0 |
| WBCA Challenge Las Vegas | ||||
| 13 | Thursday | L, 78–60 | vs. No. 3 UCLA | 2–1 |
| 15 | Saturday | W, 82–68 | vs. Fairfield | 3–1 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 20 | Thursday | W, 85–50 | at N.C. A&T | 4–1 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 94–48 | vs. UNCG | 5–1 |
| Cancun Challenge Cancun, Mexico | ||||
| 27 | Thursday | W, 83–48 | vs. South Dakota St. | 6–1 |
| 28 | Friday | W, 85–73 | vs. Kansas State | 7–1 |
| 29 | Saturday | W, 80–63 | vs. Columbia | 8–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Thursday | W, 79–64 | at No. 4 Texas | 8–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 82–40 | vs. Boston Univ. | 9–2 |
| 14 | Sunday | L, 76–66, OT | vs. No. 9 Louisville | 9–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 | Wednesday | W, 84–34 | vs. UNCW | 10–3 |
| 21 | Sunday | W, 93–74 | vs. Charleston Southern | 11–3 |
| 29 | Monday | W, 90–38 | at Boston College | 12–3, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | W, 71–55 | vs. California | 13–3, 2–0 |
| 4 | Sunday | L, 77–71, OT | vs. Stanford | 13–4, 2–1 |
| 11 | Sunday | L, 73–50 | at No. 23 Notre Dame | 13–5, 2–2 |
| 15 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Miami | ACCN Extra |
| 18 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Florida State | The CW |
| 22 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| 25 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | The CW |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 6 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN2 |
| 5 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ACCN |
| 8 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 12 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. SMU | ACCN |
| 15 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at Duke | ABC |
| 19 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | ACCN |
| 22 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Pittsburgh | ACCN |
| 26 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Virginia | ACCN Extra |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Duke | ESPN |
| ACC tournament | ||||
| 4–8 | Wed.-Sun | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga. | ||
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 20–24 | Fri.-Mon. | First, second rounds | ||
| 27–30 | Fri.-Mon. | Regionals Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, Calif. | ||
| April | ||||
| 3, 5 | Fri., Sun | Final Four Phoenix |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
tarheeltribune.com 